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In beginning this module, my main goal was to learn how to better produce gifs. I’ve enjoyed searching for them online as their own miniature art form, often in the context of fandom. Recently I’ve become (ever so slightly) obsessed with the show Xena: Warrior Princess. While I do not have a Twitter account, I often visit AUSXIP GIFing Xena, which publishes gifs from the show a few times a week. I’ve also used some generic google searches to find other Xena-related gifs. Often they’re funny and can help punctuate a point in online articles or forums. They can produce a reaction with words…

I’ve had some previous experience with gifs before in the mini version of DS106 that was held at the UMW Summer Enrichment Program. Working with Jim Groom, we learned to produce gifs using mpeg streamclip and GIMP. While I was able to successfully create a gif, the process was rather tedious, and I was not familiar with the programs. In starting this module, I figured that the best place to start would be on Jim Groom’s BavaTuesday’s blog, as he often posts some of his latest work with gifs. I read his “A Fistful of Gifs article” (http://bavatuesdays.com/a-fistful-of-gifs/), which recommended Giphy as an easier way to make gifs. So I started experimenting with making gifs with the site. I originally tried uploading a file directly, but it was too large. I then attempted uploading an edited file, but the “browser was not supported”. I changed browsers, but the site still didn’t work. I then attempted uploading a file from a YouTube link, which was successful. The next step was to try creating a gif from the link. I tried publishing my first attempt, but was told that “something went wrong”. I tried again, and the second attempt succeeded.

Once I established a working method of creating gifs, I cranked out 10 more in the course of about an hour, focusing on looping gifs and isolating some funny moments. My next step will be to try to polish my work on looping gifs, and to perhaps enhance my “big picture” view of gifs by learning more about their history.

This site is an expansion of a domain (annarinko.com) and subdomain (historyofgenocide.annarinko.com) I had already created in my FSEM from last semester. I attempted to create another subdomain for this class, but couldn’t remember how to set it up. So I attended one of the “Incubator” sessions at the Digital Knowledge Center, and created this subdomain. I installed WordPress in both the subdomain and my main domain, since I was familiar with WordPress from last semester. It was relatively user-friendly, and I hoped to build on the experience I had obtained from working on last semester’s blog.

On my main domain, I added my YouTube channel to my portfolio, and edited my About page, leaving the Cover Letter and Resume pages blank to be edited once I update those items. On my subdomain, I edited the About page, and created a page devoted to my YouTube channel. I also added my Digital Identity Analysis as my first post. For both the domain and subdomain, I stuck to a more basic theme, but custom-edited the color scheme. I hope to adjust the theme according to the content I ultimately place on these sites.

I want my domain to be a more formal site where I can highlight the information I want future employers to see first, in a controlled and professional manner. In contrast, my subdomain can be slightly more informal. I’m considering double-majoring in digital studies and communication, so this subdomain may be an area where I can place the digital studies portion of my work. I look forward to further constructing and improving both sites in this class!

My digital footprint is probably larger than that of the average American, but perhaps smaller than the average teenager’s, at least in the realm of social media. I don’t have a Twitter or Instagram account, but I do have a Facebook. A quick search leads to my public profile page (I don’t believe there are any other Anna Rinkos on Facebook). This public profile, as seen by non-friends, reflects some of my educational milestones (high school graduation, etc.), my old profile and background pictures, and some public posts encouraging the development of Xena revival.

When conducting a google search of my name, the first link that pops up is my History of Genocide blog from my FSEM course from last semester. This contains posts covering my thoughts on the various readings we went over, my projects, and some political cartoons I felt were thought-provoking. Other links include one that leads to a recording of my culminating presentation from my senior year of high school, followed by a write-up of my video-editing work posted on James Groom’s bavatuesdays site. The other links that appear include some obituaries and other pages not connected to me. Interestingly, the first image that appears during a search is one that was briefly on the UMW website. However, none of the other pictures are of me.

My foremost contribution to the internet is probably through YouTube. My channel has 44 subscribers and over 68,000 views. I’ve uploaded 64 videos since 2012, most of which are either fan-made movie trailers or mash-up trailers. However, this site isn’t linked to my name, and my username appears as UvaSEP (a throwback to my first email). The site can be found here:

In general, someone searching my name would probably be able to easily see that I am interested in video-editing. Most of the links reflect this. They would also notice that I am a current college student, and might be able to hazard a guess as to what geek fandoms I consider myself a part of. Overall, I’m fairly satisfied with my digital footprint in its present form. In the future, I suspect more of my video-editing work will continue to be featured. Currently, my main course site (annarinko.com) is just being developed. It will most likely feature my YouTube channel, any major research or projects I’m involved in, and my eventual CV/resume. This will hopefully allow me to continue to shape and control my own digital footprint.